Lead seal of Petar, Prince of Duklja, from the 9th century
Lead seal of Petar, Prince of Duklja, from the 9th century
Kraljevstvo Slovena (The Kingdom of the Slavs) is the famed work by Pop (priest) Dukljanin of Bar. It has often been wrongly called Ljetopis Popa Dukljanina, which is the title of the third chapter. Kraljevstvo Slovena was written between 1177 and 1189, during the time of the first Montenegrin state of Duklja.
Pop Dukljanin was a Benedictine priest who advocated the use of the Latin language in church. The original work, which was written in a Slavic language, has been lost. A Latin version from the 17th century is preserved in the Vatican.
The book has three chapters. In the first and third, the writer narrates the legendary history of the South Slavs, particularly of Duklja's rulers. The second chapter describes the well-known life and legend of Zeta's Prince Vladimir, the first Montenegrin saint, and his tragic love for the princess Kosara
This book is the first written work of Montenegrin literature, and one of the first among the South Slavs.
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www.montenegro.org Last updated on 30 June 1996